A complex network of arteries and vessels supply the oxygen-rich blood that nourishes the millions of neurons that make human thought possible. This is also where clots that block this blood- flow trigger the ischemic crisis that causes 80 percent of strokes.

Migraine headaches affect 10 percent of the world's population and are most common in women. This neurological disease can be extremely debilitating with intense pain, nausea and vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light or noise.

Everyone needs grace during difficult times. With that in mind, Jason Carroll and John Burdett founded Red Mountain Grace, a non-profit dedicated to providing housing for families whose loved ones are hospitalized in the Birmingham area.

Cuts and reimbursement changes have led to increased hospital closures in rural America, but the National Rural Health Association is working diligently to educate lawmakers on the vital role these facilities play in keeping a community healthy and vibrant.

Hemophilia is a rare, inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot normally. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, these patients bleed for a longer time than other people following an injury. The also can bleed internally.

Thanks to screenings, labs, vaccines, imaging and earlier interventions, many of us who, in previous generations, would have died in middle age from heart or lung disease, cancer, infections or a host of other disorders are living well into old age.

The UAB Department of Neurology was recently awarded a $10 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health when they were named a Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson's Disease Research.

Obesity and its comorbid conditions impact both lifespan and quality of life. However, not all obesity is created equal. Resolve to take simple steps help identify those most at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other complications and intervene.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in American men and remains a significant health risk. Scientists at Southern Research in Birmingham are studying a mutated protein that could hold the key to both development and treatment of this disease and possibly make the cancer more susceptible to radiation treatment.

Building off their success in reaching underserved populations in Alabama, UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is launching an outreach, awareness and screening program for those at high risk of lung cancer.

The human papilloma virus (HPV) is responsible for approximately 42,700 HPV-associated cancers in the United States each year based on estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Physicians are all aware of the indications for testing for gastroesophageal reflux," says John Touliatos MD, with Advanced Surgeons. "But they may not know that we can now do the full evaluation for those patients in an office setting."